Gaviscon withdrawn.

s@sha

Yesterday I went to my GP surgery to ask for a repeat prescription of Gaviscon...I have been drinking gallons since becoming pregnant.

The receptionist told me that they are no longer prescribing it, as it has been withdrawn because of its sodium content. I was suprised as I had my last lot only 2 weeks ago & no-one mentioned it then.

Bizarrely, she said that I could still buy it 'over-the-counter', but that the only one you can have on prescription now is Gaviscon Advance.

Just thought people might like to know this.

plumpmouse

I work in a hospital pharmacy and we still dispense gaviscon.

Gaviscon advance is prefered though partly due to the fact that patients have to take a smaller dose

ka7e

My husband suffered from heartburn for years and always had a bottle of Gaviscon in the cupboard and another "on order" at the Doctor's! Using a bit of retro-thinking (overproduction of acid in the stomach often caused by bacteria that leads to ulcers) I made him eat a tablespoonful of live natural yoghurt several times a day. The hearburn disappeared within days, and has not re-occured.
Pregnancy heartburn can be different in that it's often caused by dispacement of the stomach by the growing bump, in which case, eating little and often can help.

Mumstheword

OOh, bit worrying, I too lived on gaviscon for my pregnancies. And Rennies. And in my first, I was on antihistimines which have since been withdrawn for anyone!!

Oh well, you can't change what you did, you can only make sure you use the info you have available to make the right decision for the future.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy, and ask your doc about rennies!

Mumxx

jenpoptab

I had a baby 8 wks ago, and Dr prescribed Gaviscon Advance then for a couple of months leading up to having her. Found I was still swigging it out of the bottle though.

max2002ad

I work for one of the large community pharmacys and just wanted to clear up a few points.
Gaviscon is being discontinued on prescription but it's not because of any safety concerns.
The decision is purely a commercial one, as gaviscon liquid has been having a lot of competition from a generic alternative called peptac.
To help them remain competitive they have tried to encourage everyone to swap to the gaviscon advance brand which at present doesn't have any rivals.
You an still get a generic of gaviscon on prescription if gaviscon advance doesn't suit you and you can also buy it over the counter for around £4.24.